Miss Czech-Slovak US 2024-2025
Trinity Pesko
Trinity is the daughter of Jon and Sherry Pesko of Phillips, WI. She represented Wisconsin at the 2024 Miss Czech-Slovak US National Pageant and is proud to be the first National Queen from her home state. She is 25% Czech Bohemian and 25% Slovak. One set of her paternal great-grandparents lived in Dubová, Slovakia before they immigrated to the United States at the turn of the century, while the other set lived in the neighboring villages of Kváskovice and Lhota u Svaté Anny, Czech Republic, near Strakonice.

​In December 2023, Trinity graduated Summa Cum Laude and as an Honors Scholar with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Millikin University in Decatur, IL. This fall, she will be entering her first year of teaching as a K-6 General Music Teacher and 6-12 Choral Instructor at the School District of Phillips, while simultaneously pursuing her Master’s degree in Education at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

​Trinity grew up in the largely Czech and Slovak town of Phillips, WI and frequently attended the Phillips Czech-Slovak Festival. From ages 4-10 she performed ballet onstage as part of the festival’s entertainment. Trinity’s grandmother, Lilian Koci, was extremely proud of her Czech heritage and volunteered at the festival every year. After her passing, Trinity became increasingly involved in her heritage to honor her memory. She decided to run for Miss Czech-Slovak Wisconsin in 2023, as Grandma Lil would have turned 100-years-old that fall. This state title is what allowed her to compete at the Miss Czech-Slovak US competition in 2024.

​At the 2024 competition, Trinity modeled a replica Trnavský kroj representing her Slovakian ancestral home of Dubová. As the kroj was made here in the United States by Trinity and her mother, Trinity was able to add some personalized touches to her kroj, including hand-beading grain and grapes on her bow, choosing a brocade and ribbon for her vest that included an oak leave pattern, as Dubová in English means “oak grove,” and hand embroidering roses, linden,
forget-me-nots, asters, and daffodils on her apron. Each of these flowers has a symbolic reason for being included, as they honored her family and ancestors, and it is these special details that allowed Trinity to be awarded the Kroj – Family Story award at the pageant.

​While her kroj represented her Slovakian heritage, Trinity honored her Czech heritage by singing a vocal arrangement of famed Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s “Humoresque.” The lyrics, added in the 1930s by George Leipold and Clifford Leach, tell the story of a Czech immigrant having both fond and bitter memories of her home country. Ultimately, it is the power of music that has the power to transport her back to her homeland across the sea.Trinity was honored to be awarded with both the Sokol Talent Award and the Grand TalentAward for her performance.
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In addition to the above-mentioned awards, Trinity was blessed to receive the Oratory award. She enjoyed sharing her involvement with her heritage and her vision for the future with both the judges and the audience. Now with the platform of her new title, Trinity is excited to keep sharing her heritage with others as Miss Czech-Slovak US. She looks forward to meeting many new people and traveling to new states while promoting the Czech and Slovak cultures. She would like to thank her parents, family, ancestors, community members, supporters, and all the
sponsors, donors, and volunteers that make the Miss Czech-Slovak US Pageant possible.